Corbin left his apartment and started to walk down Colby Road that intersected with Main Street. It had been lonely the past few weeks, being cramped up in either his apartment or at his desk, and his diet was worsening each day. He had resorted to old boxes of mac and cheese, cheap hot dogs, and fast food to keep up his energy. He looked around at the cozy New England homes with warm plumes of smoke, puffing out of their chimneys. His eyes were glazed and bloodshot and his legs ached as he carefully walked on the ice-covered sidewalk. I’m sure they’re enjoying a nice meal next to the fireplace, sharing a laugh or two … not worried if they were going to lose their job or worse lose their minds.

Corbin reached the local grocery store. A small place a few miles off Main Street near a gas station and used car dealership. Corbin dragged his feet onto the shiny tile floor of the store and then reached into his coat’s chest pocket. Dammit...I forgot to make a shopping list...Well I guess my brain is truly leaving me.

After taking a few boxes of flu medication and two cans of corn and carrots, he headed toward the checkout, hoping a few vegetables would get his body back to being healthy again. He walked aimlessly between aisles, scanning the shelves for something. Something he didn’t even know he wanted. His eyes went wide and he froze. A bottle of window cleaning spray rested on the shelf. It displayed a woman looking into a recently cleaned mirror, smiling at her own reflection. He focused deeper into the image. A small clock that was displayed on the mirror. Its reflection right next to the woman’s head. His eyes became sore as he stared at the image for a few more seconds. His head began to ache and his vision grew fuzzy. He felt his legs give way and his body collided into someone holding a basket of food beside him. The world around him turned black.

After a few seconds, the touch of the cold, tile floor had awakened his brain. A slight pain filled his head and everything appeared to move in slow motion. The touch of a tin can excited his senses, making him jerk his fingers forward to push it along the floor. His ears could hear it rolling back and forth on the tile, its smooth humming like the swing of a large pendulum.

The fellow shopper he bumped into was a young woman who tried to recover her goods from the fall. Once she recovered, she held out her hand to help Corbin up off the floor.

“Are you okay?” she asked politely.

Corbin’s senses were instantly focused on her voice. Its smooth and kind tone that was a pleasure to his shaken ears.

“Yeah,” he shook his head. His vision came back into focus. The dark blue eyes, the silky blond hair, the smile played upon her lips. He blinked twice to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. My God...Could it be? The woman who stood in front of him was in his bathroom and bedroom, tormenting his thoughts and his grasp of reality, only days ago. He stared at her in disbelief.

“You sure you’re okay?” she said again, letting out a quick sigh.

“Yeah,.. I’m fine...no need to worry about me.” he paused for a brief second, collecting his thoughts, “Hey have we met before?”

She shook her head.

“Ah,..My name’s Corbin by the way,.. Corbin James,” he held out his hand.

She appeared hesitant. Corbin didn’t really make a great first impression. He looked like a druggie, unkempt, exhausted and in possession of a lot of flu medication.

“Sorry...I just thought you’d like to know the name of your attacker.” Corbin began to chuckle. “I must look pathetic right now.”

The mysterious girl glanced over at the checkout counter and then back to Corbin, who had sat up on the floor now, wiping off his clothes. She then bent down and shook his hand and gave him another smile. “Kate Hopkins,” she said.

“Nice to meet you, Kate.”

The aisle’s floor was littered with bags and cans, but it did not seem to bother Corbin. He was entranced by Kate. Could this be real? Is she real? … I must be dreaming.

Kate cleared her throat. She then collected her food off the floor. “Nice to meet you too,” she said, leaving his sight like an apparition.

He shook his head. His limbs went numb. Kate. The name flowed through his mind like a swirling drink, filling his limbs and then his heart with energy. He cleared up the floor and continued his trip to checkout. What the hell just happened?... Who is Kate Hopkins?

Corbin ate a healthier dinner that cleared his mind. He pulled out a small spiral bound notebook and flipped over a few pages. He added, “Former tenant” and “niece” followed by “could help explain mirror”. He cleaned the dishes in the sink and then sat at the table in the kitchen. He tried to piece together in his mind the moments that he had seen the girl in the mirror and then the girl at the grocery store. Is she real? … Are they the same person? … Déjà vu? He couldn’t sit still as so many questions needed to be answered. I’m not getting anywhere with the girl. I’m need to find out more about the previous tenant. Let’s ask some of the neighbors.

Corbin walked up to the door across the hall from him. Apartment 2C. He knocked on the door. It was answered by a middle aged man with graying temples and glasses that hung from the tip of his nose, apparently in depth in some book or newspaper.

Corbin cleared his throat. “Hi, I’m Corbin James. I live across the hall and I found a small bag of things in the bathroom that I think belonged to the previous tenant. Would you happen to know where they are?”

The man shook his head and sighed. “I don’t know, sorry.”

He quickly turned around and shut the door, returning to his captivating read.

Corbin shrugged his shoulders. Ok? Thanks. He jotted down a few notes in his notebook.

Corbin walked down the hall to a few more doors.

2D – Sharon Showalter, Older woman with a few cats meowing in the background. Friendly. Said she saw him a few times. He’s old with wild white hair

2E – Zeb Grisman, Young man in his thirties with some heavy metal playing in the background and crumbs littering the carpet. Said he just moved in a few months ago and didn’t know much about him.

2F – Diane Rodriguez, A single mother with two kids fighting over some toy. She was nice. Said his niece was very nice. She had blonde hair and very lovely. Couldn’t remember her name.

Corbin checked his notes and read them. So far I know that he’s old and that his niece was very nice and had blonde hair. At this rate, I’ll have him snatched in an hour! Corbin sighed. Well, let’s check on the third floor.

The third floor wasn’t much help either. Most of the tenants didn’t cross paths with him and since he was there for only a few months they didn’t get many opportunities to say hello. So not many leads on this tenant. Seemed like he was ghost, but that niece is the key to all of this. I just need a name, but no one seems to remember it. The Churches know something they aren’t willing to share. Something that has Mrs. Church a nervous wreck over.

Next Chapter: 4 - Stains